By Pet Owners/Experts

May 28th, 2015

Does my dog have worms?

Spotting a worm infestation in your dog can be tricky. This article will help you to identify the symptoms.

Spotting a worm infestation in your dog can be tricky. Since most dogs are affected by worms at one time or another, it’s worth knowing what symptoms to look for. If left untreated, worms can cause discomfort, rob your dog of necessary nutrition and leave them tired and listless - definitely not what we want for our beloved canines. Not only that, but worms can also impact your family’s health. That’s why we’d recommend carrying out dog worming treatment every 3-4 months as a preventative measure.

Roundworms

Roundworms look like thin garden worms and can grow up to 9 inches long. Puppies can be born infested or can become infested through their mother’s milk. In severe cases, their bellies can become swollen, leading to symptoms including discomfort, weight loss, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, coughing, and vomiting. You dog can also become infested by eating an infected egg from the soil, or from an infected rodent, bird, or rabbit. For puppies over 6 weeks, weighing over 0.5kg, we’d recommend these Bob Martin Wormer Tablets for Puppies. If your puppy struggles with worming tablets, try sprinkling these Bob Martin Wormer Granules over their food instead. For puppies less than 6 weeks old, go to your veterinary surgeon for dog worming treatment.

Tapeworms

Noticed your dog is excessively cleaning his bottom or dragging his bottom across the floor? Then he may have a tapeworm infestation. Tapeworms attach themselves to your dog’s gut and can grow up to several feet long. Their eggs can break away – you might see these as white wiggling particles (about the size of a grain of rice) in your dog’s stool or around his bottom. The most common type of tapeworm in the UK is spread by fleas – so if your dog has a flea infestation, we’d recommend giving them a Bob Martin Worming Tablet, as well as treating their fleas.

Hookworms and whipworms

Hookworms aren’t common in the UK, but can be picked up if you’re travelling abroad with your dog. Infestation takes place when the larvae are eaten or if they burrow through your dog’s skin. Since they hook themselves onto the intestine, large numbers of these worms can cause anaemia in your dog.

Whipworms are also rare in the UK but can sometimes be found in places such a kennels, where lots of dogs are in close proximity. They are passed on through contact with infected faeces and don’t cause any health problems for humans. Both whipworms and hookworms can be treated with these Bob Martin Worming Tablets.

Lungworms

You dog can become infested by eating a slug or snail containing the lungworm larvae. There are a few different types of lungworm, but the first sign is a moist cough, as part of the worm’s lifecycle is spent in the lungs and airways. Other symptoms include weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea, reduced appetite, nose bleeds or persistent bleeding from a small wound. Since lungworms cannot be treated with conventional worming tablets for dogs, we’d recommend consulting your vet if you think they may have a lungworm infestation.

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